Seeking Love
by dapperyklutz
Summary: SSHG. 'I love you. I love you so much; I didn't know how I have survived myself without you.' Seeking love from the most unusual of people was the best decision they have ever made... 'But I wasn't strong - strong enough to give you up.'


_Disclaimer:__ Characters belong to J.K. Rowling._

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_**Seeking Love**_

She wanted to forget about him - all of him.

His face, his breath, his scent, his piercing obsidian eyes, his silky and velvety voice, his quick and sharp wit, his never-ending intelligence. Everything - everything about him.

But she knew it was inevitable, knowing that it was highly impossible to do so.

Impossible to have a Potions Master return her affections - and she angrily berated herself for slipping up. For blurting, or dare she say it - confessing - her deep feelings to him.

But even though it was an accident, she knew that he knew that she meant it.

And so she did the only thing to do - run away.

* * *

He couldn't let her get away from him - he just couldn't.

She meant the world to him - she was his entire life, his whole purpose.

But she ran away, never knowing the truth that was at the tip of his tongue.

He missed her terribly - missed her more than he ever missed someone that it felt like he was suffocating because of her absence. Suffocating because she never got to know the entire truth.

And so, with a new found determination - he sought after her. He couldn't give her up; and he would never give her up, ever. Not without putting up a fight, he knew.

* * *

Three months later, he found her. Three agonizing, exhausting yet fruitful months.

He couldn't believe it, after all his hard work and never-ending hope and determination - he finally found her.

But the latter, on the other hand, felt like her world came to a sudden full stop. She thought she would be rid of him, now that she had migrated to another country - but no, he still found her.

And she was now downright terrified of what their interaction will be.

* * *

"Hermione," he uttered breathlessly as they both stood under the heavily pouring rain, the clouds grey but the sun setting in the horizon - making the atmosphere look both romantic and heart-breaking at the same time.

"W-what are you doing here?" stammered the beautiful yet broken witch who had tried to give him up and forget about him and her feelings for him - but failing to dismally.

They were standing five feet from each other. Five feet away from their life.

"You know the reason already, no doubt," replied the dark-haired wizard, a look of longing and despair in his once guarded eyes. "I want to explain..."

"Please, Severus, don't," said Hermione quietly in a broken voice as she tightly closed her eyes to refrain the tears from leaking and to try and stop the throbbing pain in her chest. "I would not be able to take the pain any longer."

The black-clad wizard, Severus, felt his heart constrict in pain as he saw the woman of his affections hurting - hurting because of him. Hurting because he was too much of a coward to confess his own feelings to her - and wanting her badly to know that he truly mirror her emotions.

"Hermione... why did you run away from me?" began Severus, choosing his words carefully. After all, it was not an everyday occurrence to have the snarky Potions Professor declaring his love. Slowly, he took a step towards her - making it four feet now away from her.

There was silence after his question, except for the continuous downpour of the rain as it soaked them both wet. The sun was halfway set already, knowing that they have been standing on the same pavement for quite a while now.

But finally, Hermione was able to reply. "Because I knew you would never feel the same way as I do."

Severus was taken aback by this, but nonetheless able to regain his composure and take another step towards her. Three feet now, and he's closer to home.

"How can you be sure of that?" he challenged her quietly in his velvety voice that caused shivers to run up and down the witch's spine - and it was not because of the cold. "You are stronger than that, my love."

Hermione tried not to let her hopes up just because of his word of endearment, but she couldn't help the tingle that rose in her chest when he said it. But instead, she dared to look at him and was surprised to see him standing three feet away from her.

"Why did you come after me, Severus?" she asked instead, turning the tables.

Severus looked at her in the eye and said, "Because I wanted you to know about how I really feel for you."

Hermione had had it; it was the final straw for her. Three cruel months of trying to get over the man of your life and running away from him, only to have him seek after you and just break your heart in the end. How cruel can he be?!

A sob escaped her lips as her salty tears mingled with the still heavily pouring rain as the witch finally cried out brokenly, "Damn it, Severus! Did you just fly over half the continent to break my already broken heart into a billion pieces?! Knowing that this heart of mine is now broken beyond repair, knowing that the only man I have ever loved and will ever love is you, knowing that the only person who can only fix me is you - yet knowing that I can never have you or your love in return!"

By the time she was finished, Severus had taken the last three steps and was now in front of her - his arms gripping her biceps to stop her from falling to the wet and hard ground and to make her see sense. His eyes were wild, passionate, and filled with understanding and longing. Longing for her.

"You silly woman, how can you even think of running away from me - knowing that you never really broke your heart?" retorted Severus gently, noticing the enchanting witch's breath before him hitch at this sudden revelation.

"I thought I was strong," replied Hermione under her breath instead, her mind in shambles and her heart beating erratically against her ribcage. "But I wasn't... wasn't strong enough."

"Strong enough to what?" whispered Severus under his breath, his breathing heavy as he stared in to his love's beautiful and unique chocolate brown eyes.

Hermione stared into the endless depths of his obsidian eyes and finally uttered the words quietly to him that she'd been denying for the past three months.

"I thought I was. But I wasn't strong - strong enough to give you up," she said under her breath, letting the words flow from her lips freely and knowing there was nothing holding her back now. "And I knew that I couldn't give you up, knowing that I would never give you up but I was too stubborn to accept that fact alone, but instead I lived myself in denial these past few months. I was stupid, Severus, stupid for running away like that."

Severus started to open his mouth, his heart beat beating wildly against his chest but was unable to utter a single word before the exotic witch before him continued to speak, continued to confess - knowing that she had let her emotions, let her heart take over now.

"I love you. I love you so much; I don't know how I have survived myself without you. I love you too much to ever let you go - knowing that I have waited all my life for you, my only one. I love you, and I just want you to know that I never regret every single moment in my life since I've started loving you. I love you - I love you so much, Severus Snape, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Tears were now flowing freely from Hermione's eyes after her declaration of love, and Severus had to control himself from letting a sob escape his lips. But instead, he placed both hands on either side of Hermione's face and let all the love he have for her shine through his eyes freely - knowing that no words were enough to describe, or to define, how he really felt.

When Hermione saw the love shine through his eyes, she was beyond shocked at the intensity, at the passion and at the longing in there - knowing that it was she who caused him to feel this way. And this caused the intelligent witch to cry tears of happiness and relief this time - knowing that he was hers, and vice versa.

"To the world, you are one person. But to only one person, Hermione Granger, you are the world," said Severus, feeling his throat too tight to speak but even then he wanted her to know that he mirrored her. What they have for each other were more than words, more than gestures, more than anything anyone can ever imagine - and both understood how the other felt right this moment. "_You_ are _my_ world."

And with a smile, both shared a kiss that not just healed a broken heart - but made a once black and unbeating heart come to life. And both knew that seeking love from the most unusual of people was the best decision they have ever made.

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_A/N: Please tell me what you think. :) _


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